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Donations make mother's Olympic dream come true

By Sean Sweeney, Correspondent

Updated:
07/23/2016 09:28:51 AM EDT

Chase Kalisz, right, celebrates with Jay Litherland after winning the men's 400-meter individual medley final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb., on June 26. Litherland finished in second place, as both earned a chance to compete in the Rio Games. AP PHOTO

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Cathy Kalisz is going to Brazil.

The Leominster native and mother to U.S. Olympic swimmer Chase Kalisz, thanks to a GoFundMe page started by her niece -- Fitchburg High Hall of Famer and Lunenburg High guidance counselor Karma Tousignant -- has met her goal and raised enough money to cover a good portion of her expenses for next month's trip of a lifetime to Rio de Janeiro.

"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude," Tousignant said. "Aunt Cathy is in tears. We appreciate this so much. My intent was to defray the costs, but to nearly fund the entire thing? I didn't expect that."

With 143 donations totaling $10,309 already in by Friday afternoon, Kalisz's GoFundMe page has raised its goal of $10,000. One anonymous donor contributed $539 Thursday morning to push the fundraiser to $9,999, right to the cusp of its goal.

Tousignant started the page on Sunday after finding out it would cost her aunt -- the former Cathy Tousignant, a 1979 St. Bernard's graduate -- upward of $12,000 in order to travel to and from, and find accommodations in, Rio for the Summer Olympics, which open Friday, Aug. 5.

Her son, one of the premier intercollegiate swimmers in the country, made the U.S. Olympic team in late June on his second attempt; Chase Kalisz swims the 400-meter IM and is the current American record-holder in that event.

While the United States Olympic Committee handles travel expenses for the Olympians, family members who wish to attend and watch from the stands have to pay their own way to the Olympics.

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The USOC provides two free tickets to the arena for each competing athlete, but getting to the event is done on the family's dime.

Tousignant said earlier this week that the first $1,250 raised would take care of her aunt's first night's stay in Rio.

Airfare to Rio, too, had a hefty price tag: Tousignant noted a round-trip ticket from Baltimore-Washington International to Galaeo International cost approximately $4,000.

With the costs involved, Kalisz had planned on watching the Olympics from her Bel Air, Md., home with three of her four children -- the fourth, obviously, appearing on television.

"It is maddening to me," Tousignant said Monday, "That without any support, her choices are to bankrupt herself or stay home."

Tousignant, who was a sophomore member of the 1989 Fitchburg High School state champion girls' cross country team, then set up the page. After consulting with aunt over the weekend, she set their fundraising goal at $10,000.

By noon Monday, Tousignant had raised $1,800, and that tally gradually rose throughout the day. Contributions surged over the halfway mark at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Shortly after that, Kalisz booked her flight and reported she was looking for accommodations.

By 8 a.m. Wednesday, the tally had neared $7,000 with overnight donations. It surpassed that at 9:15 a.m., and breezed over $8,000 just before lunch.

While most contributions were in the $25to $50 range -- Tousignant noted a fellow parent at her daughter's field hockey game had handed her $20 to put toward the GoFundMe Tuesday afternoon -- there were several incredibly generous donations upward of $100 and even $250.

Cathy's nephew, DraftKings CEO Matthew Kalish, chipped in $100 to the family cause. Someone by the name of Michael Bay donated $200 -- whether or not it is the film director, no one knows.

A 14-year-old from the North Baltimore Aquatic Club -- the same club for which Chase Kalisz and Michael Phelps swim and train -- donated $600. Two very generous people donated $1,000 or more.

"There is no way," $1,000 donor Steve Brinson wrote on the GoFundMe page, "a dedicated mom or dad should miss (their) son or daughter performing in the Olympics. Go help Chase bring home the Gold! Be safe and enjoy."

In Maryland, Hereford High School is holding a separate fundraiser to handle Mike Kalisz's travel and accommodations. The former Lowell High Red Raider basketball standout is the athletic director there.

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